Helen Schneiderman, Partner

Helen has over 20 years’ experience as an Organizational Development and Human Resources professional, working as both a consultant and within industry. Helen’s expertise includes training and facilitation, people and leadership development, employee engagement, diversity and inclusion, performance management, competency development, career development, recognition and onboarding. Helen has provided consulting services for a broad range of sectors, including public services, high-tech, financial services, post-secondary education and retail.

Prior to joining Kwela, Helen worked for a large charity, leading the learning and development function for the organization. Helen also spent time volunteering internationally, supporting non-profit organizations to build their human resources capacity.

Outside of Kwela, you can find Helen performing stand-up comedy at one of the lower mainland’s comedy clubs. Drawing from her varied life experiences and trips around the globe, Helen is not afraid to share the good, the bad and the ugly, to make people laugh!

Helen has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and English, she is a Certified Compensation Professional, and is certified in Mental Health First Aid – contact Helen

Laura Villacrusis, Partner

Laura believes that when leaders grow, organizations transform.  With more than 25 years of experience, she has helped individuals, teams, and workplaces unlock performance through purpose-driven leadership and culture-building strategies. Laura partners with organizations across industries—she has worked in public service, entertainment, health care, technology, finance, utilities, mining, and manufacturing—to design and deliver learning experiences in leadership development, organizational change, coaching, succession planning, employee engagement, and diversity and inclusion. Her focus is on aligning people strategies with business goals to create environments where leaders can thrive.

She holds a Master of Science in Organization Development from Pepperdine University, a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of the Philippines, is a Certified Organizational Coach through the University of British Columbia, and a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the International Coaching Federation.

Most importantly, Laura is a mom who values shared experiences with family and friends – and their dog, Peanut. She enjoys the outdoors of her home on the north shore and is always happy to go over bridges to enjoy good tea, go to a Canucks game, eat out with friends, and travel the world – contact Laura

Joanne Spalton, Partner

Joanne is an experienced leadership development consultant, facilitator and coach, with over 20 years experience working with organizations to ensure leaders know how to engage, coach and build accountability, as well as understand their role in the co-creation of meaningful culture.  She has built a strong track record within industry, having most recently served as the Chief People Officer for WhiteWater West Industries. In this corporate role, Joanne was a member of the senior leadership team, leading people operations in the USA, Middle East, Europe and China. Some of the key outcomes of her work are strategy development, key contributions to communication improvements and governance, a peer recognition plan, succession planning programs and the development and delivery of leadership programs. Her prior consulting experience includes work across a range of industries—high tech, government, legal, construction, manufacturing, engineering—with a range of structure as well:  not-for-profit, private, public and cooperative. Value and impact are always the hallmarks of her work.

Joanne is a fully trained coach through the Coaches Training Institute. She maintains a CPHR designation with the Chartered Professionals in HR BC/Yukon. She holds a post-degree diploma from BCIT as well as a baccalaureate degree in Political Science and English from the University of Victoria.

Outside of work, Joanne is a family-gal with two kids and a dog, Luna. She is active in taking dance and yoga classes and is even known to participate in improv and stand-up comedy classes – contact Joanne

Glen Sollors, Partner

Glen is based on Vancouver Island and has over 20 years experience in driving results by working with leaders in developing strategic business opportunities, managing associated change and enabling team success through role modeling, training, coaching and problem solving. His big picture and authentic approach helps leaders uncover possibilities within themselves and others so that they can create powerful teams that trust, perform and act with integrity.  Glen has a range of expertise in self-awareness, change management, business development, strategy design, accountability based leadership and skills training, and is a passionate and engaging facilitator.

Outside of work, Glen loves all things “adventure”, travel, self-awareness and relaxing in the beauty of mother nature on foot or with a paddle. Glen holds a Bachelor of Commerce with a minor in International Business from Ryerson University and is a Certified Adult Educator and Landmark Graduate – contact Glen

Russel Horwitz, Principal

Russel is one of Kwela’s two founders and his expertise includes leadership development, team development, executive coaching, and training on a wide variety of topics. He has worked extensively as a leadership consultant / trainer since 2004 across a wide variety of sectors, including government, publicly-held, private and non-profit.  Russel’s experience also includes 14 years in the high technology/engineering sector, where he held management roles in product development, marketing, customer service and training. When not working, he can usually be found outside hiking, biking, kayak fishing and growing vegetables.  He also has a keen interest in playing Brazilian music.

Russel holds a Masters degree in Engineering from the University of Cape Town, South Africa – contact Russel

Nic Tsangarakis, Principal

Nic’s extensive human resources expertise includes strategic planning, design and delivery of leadership and management development programs, design and implementation of performance management systems, implementing self-directed teams, and facilitating team building sessions. Nic also has experience in operations management and has implemented total quality management systems and business process re-engineering.  Outside of Kwela, Nic loves playing competitive squash, gardening and lives with Sharon and Toffee the dog.

Nic has an honours degree in Industrial Psychology, and a Masters degree in Operations Management from the University of Cape Town, South Africa.

Farhan Virji, Associate

Farhan is an accomplished executive and leadership development professional with over 25 years of experience spanning technology, operations, and business strategy. He began his career as a software developer and has since held senior leadership roles including CEO, Vice President of Operations & Strategy, and Director of Customer Success.

Over the last 15 years, Farhan has worked extensively in the fast-paced tech startup sector, where he has led high-growth teams and organizations through periods of transformation and scale. These experiences have sharpened his ability to lead with agility, coach in dynamic and ambiguous environments, and build resilient, high-performing teams. His leadership style is rooted in strategic clarity, data-informed decision-making, and a strong focus on people and culture.

Farhan brings deep, real-world expertise in project management, change leadership, strategic planning, and operations. He holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Management of Technology from Simon Fraser University and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).  Beyond his professional endeavors, Farhan is deeply curious about human behavior and passionate about how people learn, grow, and lead. As a father of three, he enjoys coaching his children’s sports teams, playing sports himself, and exploring the natural beauty of British Columbia’s outdoors.

Sharon Habib, Associate

Sharon is an experienced communication and brand strategy consultant, as well as an instructor. She has strong experience in communicating technical and complex information to non-technical audiences as well as strategic business content such as proposals, business cases and communication / brand / website strategies. Her communication expertise has focused on both internal and external audiences.

Liz Zed, Operations / Client Services

Liz has been with Kwela since its inception. Utilizing her strong background in business administration, she helped set up company operations and is now responsible for all operational and administrative aspects of the business. Before Kwela, most of Liz’s career was spent running Sales Operations functions in Vancouver’s high tech industry, along with gaining valuable experience in the not-for-profit world at a major metropolitan art museum.

Outside of Kwela, Liz enjoys time with friends and family, movie nights and dabbling in the creative – she sings, makes artistic clothing and loves all things design – contact Liz

Stacey Lyle, Program Management

Stacey brings to Kwela a wide skill set, including an extensive background in event and project management, and business communications. Much of Stacey’s career has been spent in the private sector, most recently in the consumer goods industry. Outside of Kwela, Stacey loves to exploit her culinary skills, spoiling husband Brad, family and friends with sumptuous meals regularly.  Her creativity extends to interior decorating with a special focus on holiday décor.

Since joining Kwela in 2010, Stacey has become highly skilled at the various tasks required to simultaneously manage a wide variety of client projects – contact Stacey

Laura Flood, Program and Corporate Administration

Laura Flood brings over 15 years of diverse professional experience to Kwela, excelling in project management, office administration, and customer service. With a background spanning the restaurant and construction industries, Laura is known for her leadership, organizational skills, and attention to detail. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and three children – contact Laura